Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to advanced transistor geometries and to electro-mechanical devices integrated with microelectronic circuits.
Description of the Related Art
Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMs) exist that combine electronic devices with mechanical structures to form electronically controlled moving parts for use as miniature sensors and actuators, for example. A typical MEMs device is shown in FIG. 1 as a planar transistor in which the conduction channel is electrically coupled to the source but detached from the drain. When a current is applied to the gate, the detached end of the conduction channel makes contact with the drain, thereby closing the circuit and turning on the transistor switch. Like other MEMs devices, the electrical portion of the device shown in FIG. 1 is disposed next to the mechanical portion, in substantially the same horizontal plane. As a result, the overall footprint is quite large, on the order of 10×10 μm2, whereas state-of-the-art electronic circuits are now measured in nanometers, about a thousand times smaller than MEMs devices. The relatively large size of current MEMs devices limits their production, packing density, precision, sensitivity, and economic value.